| Summary: | Varietal thiol concentration in wine is influenced by numerous factors, of which grape variety and winemaking practices are often highlighted as the most important. Therefore, the aim of this work was to study the effects of grape clone and yeast strain (<i>Saccharomyces</i> and non-<i>Saccharomyces</i>) on the varietal thiols concentrations and sensory characteristics of Graševina (<i>Vitis vinifera</i> L.) white wines. Two grape clones were evaluated (OB-412 and OB-445) along with three different commercial yeast strains (<i>Saccharomyces cerevisiae</i> Lalvin Sensy and Sauvy, and <i>Metschnikowia pulcherrima</i> Flavia). The results showed that the concentration of varietal thiols in Graševina wines amounted up to a total of 226 ng/L. The clone OB-412 was characterized by its significantly higher concentrations, especially of 3-sulfanylhexanol (3SH) and 3-sulfanylhexyl acetate (3SHA). Moreover, alcoholic fermentation with pure <i>S. cerevisiae</i> Sauvy yeasts generally resulted in higher thiol concentrations, while sequential fermentation involving <i>M. pulcherrima</i> positively affected only the 4-methyl-4-sulfanyl-pentan-2-one (4MSP) concentration. Finally, sensory analysis showed that fermentation with pure <i>S. cerevisiae</i> Sauvy yeast also produced more desirable wines. The results suggest that clonal, and especially yeast strain, selections are important modulators of the aroma and sensory properties of wine.
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